NYLF Explore STEM Keynote Speaker’s TED Blog

July 9, 2015

Dr. Ainissa Ramirez
, one of our esteemed Keynote Speakers at NYLF Explore STEM this summer, wants to fix science education. A former Associate Professor of Mechanical
Engineering at Yale, and current Science Advisor to the American Film Institute, NOVA and several notable science museums, Dr. Ramirez’s mission is to make
science accessible and enjoyable for everyone, regardless of age, gender or race. She is passionate about shattering the stereotypes of science and
scientists. Specializing in making science fun, she strongly believes in the need for improved public understanding of the sciences. Many of students had
the amazing opportunity to hear firsthand from Dr. Ramirez.

How is it that science classes have become about memorization and filling in the right circle on a Scantron sheet, rather than about doing hands-on
experiments and activities that reveal the wonder of the world around us? It’s a problem that Tyler DeWitt tackled in yesterday’s talk, “ Hey science teachers — make it fun.” And it’s a warning bell that
Yale professor Ainissa Ramirez has been sounding for a long time.

At TED2012, Ramirez talked about a crisis in education: The problems of our time require creativity and nonlinear thinking, and in the United States,
students simply aren’t being prepared to come up with the solutions we’ll need. Now, in her new TED Book Save Our Science: How to Inspire a New Generation of Scientists,
Ramirez shares what she sees as the best way to inspire new learners — a commitment to improving science, technology, engineering and math (STEM)
education. In the book, Ramirez takes a hard look at the cultural and historical reasons why STEM education has declined in the United States over the last
few decades. Her plea: We need to bring it back.

Curious to hear more about what can be done to make STEM fun again, we asked Ramirez a few questions about her new TED Book.
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